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CHRISTINE DE SANTIS
Christine De Santis is a partner at Higgs Fletcher & Mack. Her contributions to San Diego
go beyond her extraordinary work as an attorney. She has made it her personal goal to have
a positive impact on the community by engaging in things she is passionate about, including
the advancement of women in their careers, helping colleagues excel in their jobs and animal
rights. She joined the family law practice group at Higgs Fletcher & Mack in 2008 as an associate,
and was promoted to partner in 2009. She represents litigants in all areas of family
law. Approximately one half of her clients are active duty or retired military members or their
spouses. In order to minimize costs to military families, she offers reduced hourly rates to
service members and their spouses. Because of her dedication to making Higgs a better place
for employees, she acts as liaison for the firm, especially for those in support roles. She helps
establish policies and deals with issues for the 66 attorneys and over 70 staff members. De
Santis is a mentor for newly admitted family law attorneys through the San Diego County
Bar Association. She has mentored several female law students at California Western School
of Law and the University of San Diego Law School. She supports Kids’ Turn, an organization
which helps children cope with the separation of their parents, and the Center for
Community Solutions. De Santis has volunteered a great deal of her time to local nonprofit
organizations committed to rescuing Labrador retrievers. She is a alumnus of the State University
of New York Plattsburgh, with a degree in English, and is a graduate of the Southwestern
University School of Law.
ANNE-MARIE RÁBAGO
Just six months into her job with the prestigious accounting firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers,
Anne-Marie Rábago quickly realized that helping rich companies get richer would not
feed her soul. Living in Dallas at the time, she and her husband also realized they longed to
return to San Diego, which they left three years earlier. That also meant another bar exam
and while she waited for the results, she launched her plan to open her own law firm, Rábago
Law, which she did in November, 2009. Passionate about the need for individuals and small
business owners to educate themselves about their taxes, she looked for opportunities to share
her tax knowledge. She teaches “An Introduction to Taxes for the Solo/Small Firm Attorney”
for the Solo Practice University. In her legal practice, Rábago works with taxpayers to understand
their unique circumstances and help them simplify their obligations, ease their tax
concerns and build strong financial futures. She began to recognize a serious need for startups
and small business owners to have education, guidance and advocacy in the areas of finance,
insurance, tax, and legal matters. She is a member of the Legal Aid Society of San
Diego, volunteers her time to defend low-income taxpayers in controversies with the IRS
and state tax authorities. Rábago is a graduate of Ohio University, the California Western
School of Law and holds a master’s degree in taxation from the Northwestern University
School of Law.
SCOTT E. YATES
Scott Yates is the vice president and manager for Silvergate Bank’s branch in UTC.He is a
graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in business administration. The branch
has seen its deposits nearly triple — from $38 million to $100 million — in the two years
since Yates took command. He has contributed greatly to Silvergate’s transformation from a
thrift to a full-service business bank. His efforts to enhance the customer banking experience
and to fine-tune new products have been outstanding. He is a founding member of Voices
for Children Young Professional Group, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Pacific Beach and
a member of the Navy League of San Diego. He is a member of Silvergate’s marketing team
and has played a key role in the bank’s growth as well as contributing to new initiatives. His
role with the bank is augmented by his high level of volunteerism, as reflected in his role
with numerous community and nonprofit organizations.
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